Mr Mom
by CrimsonShepard
Summary: Gibbs decides to give Jenny a day to herself, but he may not ever offer again after he spends the day taking care of the children, five year old twin girls and a two year old son. Everybody Finds Out 'verse! Jibbs. AU.


Leroy Jethro Gibbs ventured down the stairs and opened the front door of his home. He stretched and bent down to retrieve the Saturday morning paper. His next stop was into the kitchen to make coffee and relish in the moments of quiet. With a two five-year-olds and a two-year-old in the house, quiet didn't occur often. Jethro poured the steaming black liquid into his world's greatest dad mug and took a long, soothing sip.

His wife tiptoed up behind him and slipped her arms around him. She placed a kiss on his bare shoulder and rested her palms against his sides. "Morning," Jenny told him sleepily.

Gibbs poured coffee into her cup and handed it to her. She took a sip and scrunched her nose before moving to the refrigerator to add cream. Jethro put in the three spoonfuls of sugar for her. Jenny stirred her coffee and threw the spoon into the sink.

"Anybody moving yet?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. Jasper's at the foot of his bed with his drill set," she told him with a laugh. "Katie and Lizzie are still neatly tucked in."

"You still going out today?"

"Jethro, do not tell me you're backing out."

He held up his hand. "Hold it, Jen. I'm not. I was just asking to make sure you weren't backing out."

The redhead smirked at him. He should know better. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a day to herself. Plus, it was Jethro's treat. There was no way in hell she would pass up a day of pampering in the form of a manicure, pedicure, and massage. "I'm not backing out," she finally answered and finished her coffee. She kissed her husband on the lips.

Jethro grinned at her and patted her butt. "You better go get ready."

"You don't want me to stay down here a little longer?" she asked, running her hands over his chest.

He pulled her against him and kissed her deeply, allowing his hands to roam over her. He lifted her with ease and swiftly moved to sit her on the kitchen counter, groaning when her slender legs wrapped around him. Jenny laughed when the back of her head hit the cabinet. She leaned forward, burying her face into his shoulder as he muttered an apology.

"Mommy," came a small voice.

Both turned their heads and stared at their son. Jethro looked sheepish and sighed heavily. Jenny rubbed the back of his neck and kissed his forehead. "Later," she whispered and hopped off the counter.

"Hey Jasper," she said and lifted up her son. She could tell he'd slept rough from the wrinkles in his camouflage pajamas. The boy never seemed to be still even in slumber. She was glad he hadn't come bouncing into her and Jethro's bedroom at 5:30 in the morning like usual. He would have interrupted then too. The small boy slipped an arm around her neck and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "Still sleepy?" she questioned softly, rubbing his back.

"Uh huh," he answered with a yawn.

Jenny carried him into the living room and put him on the couch. She turned on the television and changed the channel to cartoons. "Don't let your sisters change the channel. You were up first, so you get to choose. If you need anything, ask daddy."

"Mommy."

"Yes, baby?"

Jasper simply held his arms out and looked at her with his big blue eyes. She couldn't resist that face. She sat down on the sofa and pulled him to her to cuddle.

"I'll watch one cartoon with you then I have to get ready."

He nodded his head and snuggled into his mother. Jasper twirled his mom's long red hair around his finger and leaned up to give her a quick peck on the cheek. Jenny smiled at him. The boy was her heart. Jasper's love for his mother was strong and consistent.

"You're so cute and sweet," she whispered, hugging him.

Jasper shook his head, smiling that lopsided smile he'd inherited from his father. "You, mommy."

Jenny stroked his hair and held him close to her, watching him quietly. Jasper tugged a blanket over him and placed his head against her chest. Her son had been through so much in his short life. Hospital visits, medications daily, and possibly a heart transplant in the future. She cherished the Saturday morning snuggles and dreaded the day when Jasper would be too cool for her affections.

After one cartoon, Jenny left him on the sofa and walked into the kitchen. Jethro was at the table, drinking his third cup of coffee and thumbing through the paper. "Hey," she whispered. "Don't forget to give Jasper his medicine."

Gibbs nodded his head. "I won't. Maybe he won't fight about it," he said, squeezing her hand. "Jen, try not to worry about him today. He seems better since they switched it. Go get ready."

His wife nodded her head, leaving the kitchen. She went upstairs and stopped off in the twins' room to wake them up. Lizzie and Katie shuffled out of bed and to the bathroom to brush their teeth. Jenny followed behind them, supervising briefly before leaving them alone.

Katie pushed her sister. "You're on my side," she grumbled and leaned over to spit toothpaste into the sink.

"Stop, Katie," Lizzie responded. "Am not."

"Are."

Jenny stopped in the hall and pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Girls," she yelled. "Don't make me come in there!" When she heard nothing, Jenny finally went into her bathroom to take a shower.

"Look what you did," Elizabeth spoke in a low voice.

"I didn't do anything."

"You got us in trouble." She rinsed out her toothbrush and placed it back into _The Little Mermaid_ cup, scampering out of the bathroom.

Elizabeth ran downstairs and hopped onto the couch with her brother. She didn't change the channel; she was content to watch _Adventures of the Gummi Bears_. Katharine came downstairs and wandered into the kitchen.

"Daddy," she said pleasantly.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and looked at his daughter. "Yeah, Katie?"

She smiled tenderly and focused on the coffee cup. "Can I try it?"

"No. It'll be the same answer tomorrow morning. You're too young for coffee."

"You drink it."

"I'm not young, Katie. Wanna help make breakfast?"

Katie shook her head quickly and ran out of the room. She parked herself in front of the television and didn't move a muscle. Jethro chuckled and took a drink of his coffee. Minutes later, he peeked in on Katie, Elizabeth, and Jasper, letting out a sigh of relief that a fight hadn't broken out between the three. Jethro started on breakfast and let Jasper help him with the pancakes. The child made more of a mess than actually help, but Jethro didn't mind. Also, he didn't mind how quiet the girls were being.

Jenny returned downstairs just in time for the pancake breakfast. The family ate breakfast and chatted. The girls interrupted each other, and poor Jasper couldn't get a word in. Jenny cleared the plates from the table and put them in the sink. Jethro stood next to her and bumped his hip against hers, pushing her out of the way.

"I got it," he told her.

"But you made breakfast. You know the rules."

"Yeah, I know the rules. You're gonna be late. Get outta here, Jen."

"Dad, I help you!" Jasper shouted and started to use the cabinet handles to climb up onto the counter.

Gibbs shook his head and lifted his son up. "No climbing, son. You can help with the dishes. You can turn the water on and put the soap in," he explained and let him sit on the countertop. Jethro put the stopper in the drain and ran the hot water to wash the dishes.

Jenny smiled at them and ruffled her son's dark hair. "Jethro, are you going to take him for a cut?"

"Gonna take him to Frank next week."

His wife frowned. Frank only specialized in one sort of haircut. "No, not a crew cut."

"What's wrong with a crew cut?"

"Nothing is wrong with a crew cut," she said. "I don't want Jasper to have one yet. He's too precious."

Jethro rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Jasper, tell mommy you're not precious. You're a tough guy."

The two-year-old bared his teeth, growling and puffing out his chest as he clenched his fists together. "Tough, mommy."

Jenny smiled at Jasper and leaned down, kissing the top of his head. "You're mommy's precious, tough guy. Be good for dad. I'll be home this afternoon. I love you."

Her son nodded his head as he squeezed almost half the bottle of dish soap into the water. "Okay. Love you." He waved bye to her and watched her walk out of the kitchen.

"Girls, I'm leaving," Jenny announced to the twins.

"Okay," they replied in unison, not paying attention. The girls were engrossed in the television. During a commercial, Katie noticed her mother putting on her coat. "Mom!"

"Yes?"

"Where are you going?"

"To the spa."

"Can we go?" Lizzie asked.

"I don't know. Can you?"

Her daughters rolled their eyes and slapped their foreheads. They hated that so much. Jenny bit her lip and stifled her laughter.

"May we go?" Katie asked, correcting her sister's question.

"No, you may not." Jenny waited for it. She knew what was coming.

"Why not?" the twins asked.

Jethro stood in the living room with Jasper in his arms. He put his son down when he pointed to the floor. "Your mom needs a break. You're staying with me."

"Fine," Katie mumbled and folded her arms across her chest.

"I'll take the two of you out next Saturday. We'll have a girls' day," Jenny said, hoping the compromise would work as she walked over to the sofa. The girls nodded and hugged their mother.

As soon as their mother's car was out of sight, the girls looked at each other with panic on their faces. Their mother was gone for the day, and they were left with their father. He didn't do things the way she did. Jethro silently watched Katharine and Elizabeth. He cleared his throat.

"C'mon, it won't be that bad," he said confidently.

Then it occurred to him. Somehow, he'd never taken care of all three of the kids by himself. He didn't know how it had never happened before. He swallowed hard and tried to keep himself composed, hoping he didn't look like a deer caught in the headlights of an 18-wheeler. He kept NCIS agents alive on a daily basis, solved cases, and put away the bad guys. How hard could this be?

"You don't know what to do!" Katie shouted at him and jumped off the couch.

"Yes, I do."

Katie looked at her sister before narrowing her eyes at her father. "Okay. What's our very very very very favorite lunch, daddy?"

Gibbs thought long and hard, but he came up blank. He stared at his oldest girl. "Katie, why don't you tell me?"

The five-year-old's mouth fell open. She cocked her head to the side and put her hands on her hips. "Nope. You're supposed to know!"

"Guess you won't eat then," Gibbs informed her. He wasn't going to allow Jen Jr. to intimidate him.

Katie waved her arms dramatically and threw herself into the floor. She pulled Lizzie down with her. "We're doomed! Doomed!" she moaned in desperation as she rolled around on the carpet.

Jethro watched his girls carry on and rubbed his forehead hard. He could blame this on Helen Shepard. The girls had spent last week with their grandparents in Georgetown. "Katharine Ann. Avril Elizabeth," he chastised sharply. "Attention," he yelled, imitating his drill instructor from his Marine Corps days.

The girls bolted from the floor and stood straight as a board, shyly looking at their father. He'd used first and middle names _and _sounded like a drill sergeant. Dad meant business.

"That's better," Gibbs told them. "You two will listen to me today. You two will help me if I need it. You'll be nice to your brother. You'll be the well-mannered good girls I know you are. Understood?"

Katie and Lizzie nodded their heads. Katie mumbled under her breath and climbed onto the couch, pouting. Jethro ignored it while Elizabeth calmly walked over to her daddy. She tugged on his arm until he bent down to her level. She cupped her hands over her mouth and whispered into his ear. "Peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Honey on the side."

"Thank you," he told her and smiled when she kissed him on the cheek.

The rest of the day was tame except for a few squabbles. The worst quarrel had resulted in crying from Jasper, Katie in time out, and Lizzie with a nosebleed. He made the mental note to never leave the kids in the backyard unsupervised for literally one minute ever again. Gibbs took a large dose of aspirin and realized he needed to make lunch. He made the kids peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Jethro didn't spread the peanut butter on the bread correctly according to Lizzie. He didn't peel or cut the banana how Jenny did or so Katie informed him. Gibbs was seriously doubting if he ever thought his daughters would think he did anything the right way.

After lunch, Jethro took the kids to the park to run off their energy. At the park, he had a firm talk with Katharine when she brought a little boy over and introduced him as her boyfriend. He wanted to collapse onto the couch when they returned home, but he had to put Jasper down for his nap. Gibbs didn't argue with the twins when they protested a nap. He let them color in the floor of the living room.

The girls huddled close to each other on the floor and conspired as their father drifted off to sleep.

"When's mom coming back?" Lizzie whispered.

Katie shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "The spa's dumb. She didn't want to stay with us."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. She glanced back at her dad. "Hey," she said, poking her sister in the arm with a green crayon. "Let's give daddy a spa day."

Her sister's eyes sparkled, and she grinned mischievously. "Yes!"

They froze when Jethro moved but relaxed when he didn't wake up. "You get the stuff. I'll wake him up," Lizzie instructed and watched Katie dash up the stairs.

Gibbs hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep until he felt Lizzie climbing onto his knee and ordered him to wake up. He opened his eyes and yawned. Maybe he hadn't dozed off for too much time. Jethro glanced around the living room. At least, the house seemed to be in good order.

"Daddy, play," she stated simply.

"Okay. What do you want to do, Lizzie?"

Elizabeth smiled sweetly at him. "Tea party and makeover."

Jethro groaned. He didn't mind having a tea party with his girls, but he wasn't thrilled with the makeover part.

"Daddy, please?" she asked, nearly begging. The tiny redhead clasped her hands together, leaning into his chest and batting her eyelashes up at him. "Please, Daddy? Please with sugar on top?"

He stared at his daughter. He didn't want a makeover. He did not need one. Jethro knew he was in trouble when Katie sat on his other knee, mimicking her sister. Both girls were giving him the puppy eyes and fluttering those long lashes at him. How could he say no to _that_? The man had been wrapped around their fingers since he held them on the day they were born in November, five years ago. He rubbed his face and relented. "Okay. Okay."

The girls squealed with excitement and kissed his cheeks. They dragged him upstairs to the playroom. They changed into their princess costumes and set to work on their father's make over. When they finished with him, Jethro didn't want to know what his face looked like. He assumed he looked like he belonged in some tribe somewhere or he looked like a strung out drag queen.

"Daddy!" Katie exclaimed. "You're so pretty!"

"Nope. He's handsome," Lizzie said, beaming with pride at their make-up skills.

Katie shoved a mirror at her father. "Look!"

Jethro took the mirror and slowly held it up. He strangled a scream and thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. His lips were bright red and smeared. His eyebrows were blue, and his eyelids were shimmery. Jethro turned his head to the side. The girls had drawn flowers on his cheeks.

"Do you like it?" Lizzie asked.

"You girls did a great job," he told them, smiling. He didn't know how he'd ever get all of the make-up off.

"Daddy, will you wear a dress and a pair of mom's heels?" Lizzie asked.

Her father answered her with a fierce glare and a strong unspoken no.

"He'll wear this!" Katie grinned and plopped a tiara onto his head. "Tea time!"

Jethro sat down in the tiny chair and adjusted the tiara. He had tea with his girls. Finally, the girls started yawning and decided they needed an afternoon nap. He carried them into the bedroom and tucked them in, silently exiting. Jethro entered the master bedroom and flopped onto the bed he shared with Jenny. He hoped she'd be home soon. He was frayed thin from hearing all the things he didn't do like Mommy and taking care of three little people.

A few hours later, Jenny returned home with shopping bags and take-out from their favorite Italian restaurant. She put the food in the kitchen and carried the rest of the bags upstairs. She stopped at the doorway of the playroom and smiled. The kids were playing together and laughing.

"Did you guys miss me?"

The kids jumped up and ran at her, throwing their arms around her in tight hugs. Jenny sat down in the floor with the kids and helped Jasper with his train set. She heard about their day and listened intently for over twenty minutes. "Where's your father?" Jenny asked. She hadn't heard him at all since she'd been in the house.

Jasper shrugged his shoulders and continued playing. Elizabeth giggled. "Daddy's in the big bedroom. He's tired."

"Oh really?"

"Yep," Katie replied.

Jenny kissed her girls and walked into the master bedroom. She found her husband sprawled out on the king size bed, snoring. She crawled onto the bed and straddled his hips. "Honey, I'm home," she cooed and removed the pillow covering his face. Jenny doubled over with laughter, covering her mouth.

"Girls gave me a makeover," her husband said gruffly.

"I see."

"Jen, how the hell do I get this off?"

"With a lot of make-up remover," she explained and rubbed his stomach. "Did walking in my heels present a challenge today?"

"Nope. Drew the line at the girls wanting me to wear a pair of yours."

His wife laughed uncontrollably. Jethro shook his head and pinched Jenny's hip.

She yelped and punched his chest playfully. "Go wash your face. I can't talk to you like this."

Jethro smirked and roughly pushed his wife off him. He sat up and pulled her over into his lap while she continued to giggle. "Stop laughing, Jenny."

"Have you looked in a mirror?"

He nodded his head and grabbed her hand. She displayed it to him, showing off the fresh manicure. "Like?"

"Uh huh," he answered, kissing her palm as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You're a good father. Thank you for today. I needed it."

"You're welcome."

"How were they?"

"Started out rocky. It got better. What are we doing for dinner?"

"I brought dinner home. Italian," she answered and touched the heavy pink blush on his cheeks. "Jethro, really…go wash your face."

"Jen."

She knew that tone. He was asking for her help without actually asking. Jenny got out of his lap and walked into the bathroom. She set out her make-up remover and a handful of cotton balls out for him.

"Jen, your daughter found a boyfriend in the park."

"Katie told me." She looked at him when he entered the bathroom. "I don't want to inflate your ego or anything, but she told me she's not having boyfriends until she finds someone like you."

Jethro looked down at the floor, smiling. He thought today had been hell but hearing that made the day better. After several moments, he looked at his wife. "I must have done something right today if she said that."

Jenny dampened a cotton ball and told him to close his eyes. She swiped the make-up remover over his eyelid and eyebrow. "Maybe I should leave you with all three kids more often. I can have a day to myself every weekend."

His blue eyes flew open, and he clamped his hand over her wrist. Her husband stared into her eyes, shaking his head. "No. No, Jen. I love 'em, but today was hell. I don't know how you do it, but you're a better mom than me."

She smiled warmly at him and kissed him, not caring if she got her face covered with lipstick.


End file.
